Say You Won't Let Go
by rolyat591560
Summary: An AU based on the song by James Arthur, 'Say You Won't Let Go.' Basically fluff from AU young Oliver and Felicity.


**Say You Won't Let Go**

 _I met you in the dark_

 _You lit me up_

 _You made me feel as though_

 _I was enough_

Oliver Queen met Felicity Smoak on what he believed would be one of the worst nights of his life.

It was Tommy's 18th birthday and the bartender had been a little too friendly to Tommy leaving Oliver with a messy Merlyn to clean up at the end of the night. On top of a belligerently drunk Tommy, he had a very loud and unhappy Laurel screaming in his face about the redhead that she had found him with at the bar. Topping things off, as Oliver wrestled Tommy out to catch a cab, Laurel in step behind them almost yelling to the tempo of the music, a very drunk Sara Lance appeared.

Sara looked small and young amongst the crowd of partying 20-somethings and her words slurred as she spoke.

"Ollie and Tommy and my sister," she screamed, "Ollie hi!"

Oliver could see the storm coming as Laurel hurried around the two of them, scolding her younger sister and attempting to rush to her rescue. A drunk Sara Lance was a talkative Sara Lance and a quiet, secret-keeping Sara Lance is what Oliver needed at the moment.

"Laurel," Sara frowned, "you're not supposed to be with Ollie right now!"

Laurel rolled her eyes at her sister and Oliver felt for two seconds he may get out of this club truly unscathed. Tommy's body lurched forward in the same second as Sara opened her mouth and over the sound of Tommy's retching, Oliver heard Sara share their not so little secret.

"You're not supposed to be here with Ollie because," Sara was stammering and slurring a bit but the words still came out, "because he told me in bed last week that he was going to break up with you before the party tonight!"

It happened after the third time that Tommy's stomach had purged himself of the vodka when Oliver decided to look up at the two sisters and watch Laurel's stiff and sober hand slide across Sara's unassuming and completely unaware face. The crowd around them was shouting a mix of, "Ew" and "Oh" at the scene.

Sara was crying now and searching frantically around for someone or something to help her. Tommy was bent over at his waist, staring in embarrassment at the mess he had made on the floor and Laurel was charging toward Oliver with a fierce look on her face. He heard the slap before he felt it and after the initial sting, he felt relief as Laurel turned on her heel and charged back toward her sister.

The club returned to it's dancing and the music seemed louder now as Laurel marched out, her fingers gripping tightly around Sara's wrist as she dragged the small girl out with her. Tommy grabbed Oliver's wrist in an attempt to get him to move away from the vomit scene and outside.

"You're an asshole Queen," Tommy said as they weaved through the people.

To be honest, for Oliver it was a relief that Laurel knew and a relief that he would most likely not have to deal with her anymore. Although he then had to contemplate what he would say to his mother when she found out that him and her perfect Laurel weren't together. Knowing Laurel, if his mother asked she wouldn't hesitate to tell Moira all about her no good, terrible, awful son.

Oliver was playing out the speeches on disappointment and growing up in his mind while he and Tommy waited outside for a cab. Tommy seemed an odd kind of pissed off, maybe because Oliver let him violently throw up in front of a 100 other people on his birthday, Oliver didn't know. He had also lost track of the redhead from earlier and this night was looking more and more grim.

"Excuse me," a small voiced interrupted Oliver's thoughts.

He turned his head to look behind him toward where the voice came from and Tommy whipped his head around quickly, only hurting himself as he heaved again on the curb. A cab that had just pulled up rolled away quickly, acknowledging the boys but also emphasizing the, "No throwing up in the cab," policy that Tommy was sure to break.

Behind Oliver was a petite girl in a short black skirt and tall black pumps, her torso was wrapped in a tight, red V-neck shirt and her blonde curls fell just above the line of her cleavage. While Oliver was intrigued by the girl, but he had no time for flirting because Tommy wouldn't make it much longer before passing out and Oliver was worn out from all of the previous activity.

"Excuse me," she said again as she shifted on the balls of her feet. She knew good and well that she had Oliver's attention because his eyes on her made her fidget. "Have you seen Sara Lance?"

Oliver quirked an eyebrow up at her and she huffed loudly.

"Actually I know that you've seen Sara Lance, I know that you've slept with Sara Lance, but then again so does the whole club now I guess. Good job by the way, sleeping with your girlfriend's sister, class act-"

"I'm sorry," Oliver interrupted her ramble. "you were asking about Sara before you decided to judge me, what about Sara?"

"Right, Sara," the girl stood up a bit straighter after hearing Oliver's tone. "Sara was my ride home tonight, she begged me to come out and got my fake and everything and then the bartender that she flirted with just kept plying her with alcohol- aren't they supposed to recognize when someone's had too much? He definitely did not and then she was drunk and then she saw you and you never called her back and then she saw Laurel and then I lost track of her and now I can't find her and I need to get home."

Oliver rolled his eyes, "Sara went home with Laurel."

The blonde huffed again and threw her arms in the air, causing her tight shirt to ride up and expose a sliver of tan skin. Oliver eyed it hungrily, but the redhead was still in his mind. The girl's hands were quick as she pulled the shirt down over her skin and spoke loudly.

"No thank you Queen," she stated, "I'm not a Lance sister and I'm not yours to look at."

"I like her," Tommy smirked as he wiped his mouth and stood straight up, "ride home with us?"

The blonde's face turned from stern to soft as she smiled at Tommy. _What about Tommy made this girl smile, he just got done emptying his stomach on the sidewalk and she smiles at him_.

"I'm Felicity," she spoke to Tommy, "Felicity Smoak."

Felicity was able to catch a cab for the three of them quickly and the cab ride was kind of a blur. Suddenly the bubbly blonde was telling the boys all of the stories that she had heard about them from both Laurel and Sara. It explained why she had such a nicer rapport with Tommy because Tommy was the patron saint in the stories and Oliver was Lucifer's incarnate. The stories from her perspective were interesting though and she spoke ten miles a minute.

The boys discovered that Felicity was a sophomore in college, despite only being 17, and that she met Sara at a coffee shop after Sara tried to hit on her. Both boys raised their eyebrows at that revelation but Felicity waved it away as she explained her summer internship at Queen Consolidated and why she was back on the West Coast and not in Boston at MIT. She was staying in an apartment place in the Glades which she referred to as "shady but not scarey." Tommy and Oliver were enamoured and Oliver watched Tommy's eyes follow her lips. _Game on_ , Oliver thought.

The cab inched closer to Tommy's house when Tommy spoke up about not feeling comfortable with Felicity taking a cab to the Glades alone and that they could drop off Oliver first. Tommy the noble. Felicity laughed because as soon as Tommy closed his mouth after his offer, Oliver spoke up speaking something similar.

"Tommy, in the short 15 minutes that I've know you," Felicity started, "I've seen you throw up twice. You need to get home, I'm capable of getting home quite alright."

Oliver smirked at Tommy and Tommy pouted. He took Felicity's hand and placed a gentle kiss onto it, causing her to blush heavily. Oliver shoved at him to exit the car and Tommy winked as he stumbled out onto the driveway. As the cab drove away Tommy waved furiously and Felicity laughed.

"I'm not sleeping with you," she said as her laughter died down.

It caught Oliver off guard to hear her state that out loud but he just shrugged his shoulders.

"Won't lie," he shrugged, "that could've been a goal of mine."

Felicity laughed again, "I could tell. Tommy was more obvious about it though."

Both of them laughed and then the cab grew silent. It was an awkward silence and a silence that Oliver felt neither of them had experienced all night.

"It isn't because of Sara or Laurel," Felicity spoke quickly, "my not wanting to sleep with you. It isn't because I know so much about you from Sara or Laurel, or because of what you and Sara did."

"Okay…" Oliver didn't know how to respond.

"I just don't want you to think I'm that kind of person, that wholly judges before I really know someone. I mean I know a lot about you from Sara and I know you have a reputation from the local tabloids but I don't really know you so I don't want to judge you."

"I'm sure I look like an ass though, sleeping with my girlfriend's younger sister," Oliver retorted.

"Yes," Felicity grimaced, "you do. But I know that there is more to the story. Laurel likes you for your status, she wants to become your mother more than your wife. And by that I mean she wants to be just like your mother, Moira right? Anyways, she wants that status in life and she was prepared to put up with loads of things, especially once you two went off to college. And Sara, she doesn't like you in that way. She just wants to make her sister made because her sister outed her to their parents a few months ago about maybe liking girls and now her dad looks at her funny and Sara was mad. And then you didn't call her back, and that just offended her in general. But there's a story behind it and honestly, besides the fact that you slept with your girlfriend's sister, you were just a pawn to them being moved around to get what they want."

Oliver didn't know what the expression on his face was, maybe a mix of shock or confusion. She spoke so quickly and all of the words were buzzing in his brain. All he could do was tilt his head to the side and then smile at the small girl in front of him.

The cab rolled up to the entrance of a small apartment complex and Felicity's eyes went from his to the buildings outside of the cab. She smirked at him and reached for her purse.

"You were an ass for cheating Oliver Queen," she said as she opened the door, "but you may not be as big of an ass you think. Thanks for the ride."

The door of the cab closed and reverberated throughout the car. He stared as she walked away.

 _We danced the night away_

 _We drank too much_

 _I held your hair back when_

 _You were throwing up_

 _Then you smiled over your shoulder_

 _For a minute I was stone cold sober_

 _I pulled you closer to my chest_

 _And you asked me to stay over_

 _I said, I already told you_

 _I think that you should get some rest_

Oliver Queen was incredibly drunk when he first kissed Felicity Smoak.

Four months after meeting her that night at the bar and on her last night in Starling City, Felicity Smoak was drunk and dancing on top of a table. Tommy was cheering her on as she shimmied in front of a growing crowd and Laurel and Sara were screaming as well. Oliver was laughing uncontrollably as Felicity belted some Top 40 song in between sipping at her too strong drink. This was a celebration months in the making and all in part to Felicity.

Thanks to Felicity the Lance sisters were closer than ever, their evil antics toward each other left in the past. Oliver had apologized to Laurel, Laurel to Oliver, Sara to Laurel, Laurel to Sara and Felicity had done a good deed. Tommy was feeling more secure in his decision to attend Stanford and Oliver didn't feel as bad about going to Harvard now that he knew he favorite blonde would be so close to him at all times. Everyone was in a better place than they were the night at the club and here they all were, celebrating their favorite girl.

Sara climbed atop the table next to Felicity and Felicity turned her hips into Sara's, eliciting more whistles and cheers from the crowd. Everyone watched as the two girls fell into sync and put on a sultry show, Felicity's hand in Sara's hair and Sara's hands on Felicity's waist. This was their usual routine that was sure to get them three of four more drinks and Felicity winked down at Laurel as a signal for her to join them.

"We should be prepared for vomit and passing out," Tommy shouted toward Oliver as they watched two guys race to the bar to appease the girls.

Sure enough, not even a full hour later, all three girls were crowded in the small bathroom taking turns over the dirty toilet. Oliver and Tommy were in charge of supplying waters and hair ties to the girls as the whiskey shots came back to haunt them and the boys did it with ease.

Sara was the trooper of the girls and she stood proudly when she claimed that she could go for another round. Laurel was slumped in the corner of the bathroom and groaned at the idea of another drink coming anywhere near her. Felicity was still over the toilet and curls were slipping from the hair tie and were tangling together over her cheeks. It was a sight to see but not a new one as this was also apart of their well-rehearsed routine.

As practiced, Tommy led Laurel and Sara to their trustworthy cab friend, Mike, who became a close friend of theirs and a reliable way to make sure that the girls got home. Tommy and Oliver played a quick game of rock, paper, scissors to see who would stay with Felicity until she felt ready to stand up and go. With that girl it could be minutes, hours, or days. Secretly though Oliver had spent the last few weekends losing the game on purpose and Tommy was starting to give him knowing looks.

Tommy had put the moves on Felicity first, inviting her out to dinner and attempting to woo her. Felicity was flattered but she saw through Tommy's facade and instead of the two becoming a power couple they became inseparable best friends that caused havoc for Oliver and only Oliver. Tommy never denied Felicity a heated kiss to the cheek or on the hand but it never went any further than that. Oliver merely sat on the sidelines all summer.

The petite blonde had a slew of admirers from the creepy guys at QC, which Oliver may or may not have addressed to his father, and the guys at the bars who swarmed around her after her second drink. Oliver fell into Felicity's mess of admirers but he never acted on any feelings he had toward her. In the beginning he told himself it was because she was too close to Sara and Laurel and she had made it abundantly clear that she had no interest in him. But after he date with Tommy, he thought maybe just maybe he could sneak into Felicity's bed at least once during the summer.

The problem that Oliver began to face though was that the more he got to know Felicity the less he wanted in her sheets and the more he wanted in her heart. It was cheesy and sappy no doubt but there was something about Felicity that made Oliver want something more. Yes, often times they were all drunk together and laughing and dancing but in the quiet moments at Big Belly Burger or when he stopped by QC during the week, that's when he got to know the girl.

She was incredibly smart, which anyone would know when you hear that she's 17 and in college with a successful internship at a Fortune 500 company. But she is like child-prodigy smart, it was unbelievable to Oliver. And she's humble, humble because no matter how smart she was it never brought her dad back home to her. She's sweet because her mother is even sweeter. She's kind because she's seen the best and worst in life. She is well-rounded according to Moira Queen and a catch according to Robert Queen, he literally made her an offer at QC for post-grad at a casual dinner once. Thea adored her because unlike Laurel, who in all fairness just doesn't like kids, Felicity plays with Thea and gives her the female attention she needs.

Oliver wanted to sleep with Felicity, yes, like the guys who continually supply her with drinks at the bar. She's cute and sexy, and she is a complete flirt. But Oliver also likes holding her hand, or hugging her, or that time that she fell asleep while watching that weird psychological thriller that Sara made everyone watch. It was something more that Oliver wanted and it was weird and foreign and the feelings were totally out of place.

"I'm ready," Felicity sighed as she held her hand out to Oliver.

Oliver pulled her up gently and she grasped his forearms for support. She patted his chest quickly and detached herself from him so that she could attempt to walk out of the bathroom with her grace and dignity. She failed miserably in missing the step down from the bathroom and Oliver caught her quickly before she smacked her face yet again on the floor. It was a usual mistake for her at this bar, she never learned and Oliver was always prepared.

The crowd made a path for Felicity to follow and exiting the bar was easy. August night air was kind to Felicity, better than July when it was too stuffy for her to wait outside and she found more trouble and more drinks inside, keeping the group out later. It was a good mix of warm and cool breezes that flowed through her tousled hair and Oliver watched as she swayed to the music that was leaking from the bar.

Mike had texted Oliver to let him know the ETA since he had dropped off Sara, Tommy, and Laurel. Oliver still had a bit of strong buzz as Felicity reached her arms out to him. With a chuckled he took her hands and swayed with her. It was some pop song that she was singing under her breath and suddenly she decided to spin.

Felicity spun herself into Oliver's chest and smirked before her face fell and her body recognized that spinning on an upset stomach didn't help her. Oliver reached for her hair as her head flung forward and the last of the alcohol exited her body. She heaved a few times as Mike pulled up.

"How'ya doing Lissy," Mike yelled out the window.

"I'm fine," she coughed, "do you have water?"

Mike waved a water bottle out the window and Felicity sighed in relief. She stood up straight and Oliver let her hair fall down her back. She grabbed his hand and dragged him towards the cab. The vomit bag was sitting neatly in Felicity's seat and he watched Felicity take the bag and smirk.

In record time Felicity downed the bottle of water and her head rested heavily on Oliver's shoulder. Felicity was always dropped off first, her ride taking the longest to get from one side of town to the Glades. Usually she fell asleep and Oliver woke her up when he placed her on her couch in her apartment. It hit Oliver that tonight her apartment wouldn't have a couch seeing that her rented furniture was picked up this morning as well as her boxes for her move tomorrow. Tommy and Oliver had spent all morning with the girls moving boxes and furniture until there was nothing left but her outfit for tomorrow and her bed.

"Oliver," Felicity murmured.

"Yes Felicity," he whispered back.

"Thank you for always taking care of me."

Oliver let his head fall gently to hers in acknowledgment.

"Seriously," she whispered, "You made this summer really fun and made sure that I made friends and had a good time. You made me not lonely and gave me Thea, well you didn't give me Thea but you gave me a family that was your family and I got to borrow it-"

"I get ya Felicity," he laughed, stopping her from a ramble.

Felicity sat up and laughed too. She looked out the window at the passing city and he watched her face grow somber. He knew that she loved MIT and she had friends there, but he also knew she was attached to Sara and attached to Starling.

"It'll be here when you come back Felicity," he spoke softly.

She nodded, still looking out the window. Then her face turned toward him and she was smiling over her shoulder. It was a genuine smile and Oliver was left just staring at her for a few seconds, unmoving and unashamed. Felicity seemed to blink slowly and Oliver felt stone cold sober. He felt something crash over him and he realized the pull that she had. Suddenly he was moving and it was slow and fast at the same time. The smile remained on her face until he captured her lips with his and with a content moan, Felicity melted into him.

What started off soft became rough quickly as Felicity positioned herself so that she was practically in Oliver's lap and Oliver could feel her body pressed against hims. Why on earth had he not made a move all summer because this could've been happening for months now. His hand was making his way up her back and to her hair when Mike coughed. Both of them broke apart quickly and Oliver stared at Felicity's flushed face and swollen lips. Her apartment complex was in Oliver's vision outside of the cab's window.

Felicity picked at her shirt for a second as if she was unsure of what to do next before he saw her square her shoulders and look up at him.

"Stay tonight?"

It was the invitation of a lifetime it seemed, but it was Felicity. It was Felicity and she was recovering from being too drunk, he could taste it on her lips. Her body swayed a little because she wasn't sober enough to keep still. What would it do to them if he slept with Felicity while she was drunk? What could it ruin?

"Felicity," he sighed, "I'll walk you up but you're drunk."

Her face fell and Oliver felt a pang of guilt.

"You're right," she hiccuped, "but I'll make it up alright by myself Oliver."

Oliver didn't hint any anger in her tone but he felt another guilty pang after she said that. Felicity reached her the door and turned back to Oliver.

"See you tomorrow?"

"Of course," he said, "I'll see you off to MIT and then see you when I get to Boston."

Felicity smiled and exited the cab. He watched her stumble a bit but she held her own as she walked up the steps and entered her apartment. She waved before she closed the door and Mike pulled away slowly.

"Good call Ollie man," Mike said from the front seat, "that's something you don't want messed up."

 _I knew I loved you then_

 _But you'd never know_

 _'Cause I played it cool when I was scared of letting go_

 _I knew I needed you_

 _But I never showed_

After her last night in Starling, Oliver had worried that things would be awkward between them, but it wasn't. Felicity never acknowledged it and Oliver followed her lead. It made things easier as classes picked up and kept things less complicated, but he never forgot it. And he was pretty sure it was the same for her too.

Felicity rewarded Oliver for his hard work during the week by going out on the town with him on the weekends. It started off kind of odd because the gang from summer wasn't all there, but the routine stayed similar and Oliver and Felicity fell into an odd pattern of drinking heavily and falling into cabs together. It went from falling into cabs together to falling into dorms together and then falling into bed. Everything was strictly platonic.

College was tough for Oliver, but bless Felicity and her relentless tutoring and organizing. His first year was over before he knew it and he was managing decent enough grades for his father to reward him with a new car and a trip around the world. Tommy and Sara were gung ho to go but Felicity was hesitant, as was Laurel.

Summer rounded the corner after Oliver's first year and after weeks of begging Felicity to go on the boating trip with him, Felicity finally declined him for the last time. So as Oliver, Sara, and Tommy took to the sea, Felicity moved into Sara's bedroom and began her second internship at QC. They exchanged letters and texts and phone calls. She kept him up to date on Thea and his family and he humored her with his stories of their worldly adventures.

After a summer apart and a summer filled with relationships for the both of them, well a relationship for Felicity and a lot of foreign girls for Oliver, Oliver was very worried as to what was to come. Cooper was out of the picture relationship wise, but he had been the other intern from MIT working at QC. Oliver hated him from afar but was happy for Felicity because he could hear in her letters and texts how happy he made her. Until he didn't make her happy any more and if Oliver hadn't been in Thailand when Laurel told Sara that Cooper cheated on Felicity, both him and Tommy would've done damage to Cooper. But he wasn't there and Felicity wasn't his, so Oliver continued to take his emotions out on foreign women in bed.

Robert Queen also rewarded Oliver with an apartment for Oliver. It was a relief because dorm life had also been hard on Oliver and Felicity had teased him about his spoiled ways. But she too was happy to find out that they now had a place to themselves, as friends of course. So when classes picked back up Oliver and Felicity spent a lot of time at his kitchen table doing homework or on his couch binge watching shows. To be honest, the apartment was the best gift that his father had ever given him because it gave him serious alone time with Felicity.

At the end of his first semester of his sophomore year, her senior year, Oliver asked Felicity if she wanted the second bedroom in the apartment. Yes it was a commute from his apartment to MIT but she practically lived there already and she agreed easily and with a smile. He spent all winter break plotting and planning on how to maybe take things further. How to bring up the kiss again, how to get closer. But his attempts were in vain because over winter break Felicity had run into an MIT friend in Vegas and they have started dating. Oliver didn't know who he hated more, Cooper Seldon or Ray Palmer.

Palmer was the genius, neurotic version of Oliver Queen and Oliver hated him. He met him once before and didn't pay attention to him so the next time he met him was when he was helping Felicity move into their apartment. Palmer was a sappy guy and brought Felicity flowers and chocolates and he was ridiculously loud in bed. It was two months of sheer torture until Oliver decided to be an asshole.

He didn't quit speaking to Felicity, that would be impossible because when Palmer wasn't around, Felicity was tolerable and he missed her. But when Palmer was around Oliver was silent and when Palmer stayed over, Oliver invited random girls into his bed. Felicity gave him odd looks from time to time but Oliver pretended to ignore them. It continued for another two months until April came along and Palmer stopped coming to the apartment.

"Where's Palmer," Oliver asked Felicity as they sat at the kitchen table studying.

"He doesn't like to drink," Felicity murmured.

"What?"

"He doesn't like to drink Oliver," she sighed. "Not that I'm an alcoholic but Ray doesn't like to drink much because brain cells and it sounds pretentious but when you're that smart it all makes."

"Okay, so what does that have to do with anything?"

"I like drinking. I like it alot Oliver, you know that. Anyways, I asked if we could go out to a bar, which baffled him because I'm only 19 and I shouldn't know about bar hopping and what not but he agreed. He agreed to go out and I was so excited because my fake ID was collecting dust and so we went out to that bar downtown, you know the one with the statues that freak me out, and Bob the bartender was working and he remembered me and we were chatting and Ray was confused and amused and everything was fine until Bob brought up you!"

Oliver frowned but Felicity's story wasn't over.

"I didn't really properly introduce Ray and I don't even know if Bob knew that Ray was with me but Bob started talking about all of those times we were falling into cabs and how the bar had a running bet to see how long it would be before we hooked up and then Ray stormed out saying something about how it all makes sense and then we yelled and now we're not together."

Oliver didn't know what to say and Felicity was huffing as if she wanted to get that off of her chest for a lifetime. Felicity looked at him with a curious look.

"Were you mad at me for dating Ray?"

Oliver sighed.

"Oh god," she choked, "he was right. You were mad and so that's why you were so cold and why we saw the Harvard sorority row fashion show every weekend!"

"Well Felicity," Oliver huffed, "I didn't know how else to deal with the situation!"

"You're unbelievable!"

Felicity pushed herself away from the table and marched to her room. _Why was she mad?_ Oliver marched to his room and made a phone call to Tommy. As he complained to Tommy he could hear Felicity's loud voice on the phone with Laurel and Sara. Tommy was in the middle of distracting Oliver with a story of some girl when Felicity swooped into his room.

"We're going to get drunk tonight Queen, really drunk"

And so they did. They went to that bar with Bob the bartender and drank their weight in free shots. Felicity was performing her table routine and Oliver was feeling nostalgic. When it was time her for to vomit Oliver was there with a hair tie and a cup of water and Felicity was grateful. They didn't have Mike but they had Ted, the trusty Uber from their past bar nights in Boston. Ted came equipped with water and a vomit bag at Felicity's request and they climbed into the backseat together like usual.

The close they got to the apartment the thicker the tension in the car got. They addressed nothing at the bar, they merely walked in and demanded alcohol until they couldn't take it anymore. They danced together and laughed and were completely care free but that was with blaring music and the company of other drunk people. Now in the small car with Ted's classical music playing, it felt different.

Felicity rested her head on Oliver's shoulder as if on cue and Oliver sighed.

"You're going to kiss me Oliver," Felicity whispered softly. "You're going to kiss me and then I'm going to ask you to stay, and you can't say no this time because we live together and because if we ignore this any more we won't make it as friends."

Felicity raise her head up and looked at Oliver, her eyes piercing his. She was looking for an agreement in his eyes and he nodded.

"Okay," he whispered back.

Felicity leaned in and just like that time before, it started soft but grew more and more intense. His hand made it up her back a little further than last time before Ted coughed and Felicity laughed at her well planned arrival.

"Stay?"

 _But I wanna stay with you_

 _Until we're grey and old_

 _Just say you won't let go_

Oliver proposed to Felicity in the only way that he knew how.

Felicity graduated at 19 and moved to Starling City to work in the R&D department. Her starting salary was outrageous but Oliver assured her that is had nothing to do with their relationship. Before she graduated she moved into Oliver's bedroom in their apartment and Robert gave them the summer in the apartment together before Felicity flew across the country and away from Oliver. It certainly helped that she was living in his bedroom at his parent's house though.

The day after the night at the bar when Oliver called and spoke with his mother, she took the Queen engagement ring out of the vault. It sat in Robert Queen's office in the house until after Oliver graduated. That motivated Oliver to graduate a semester early, a feat only done because Felicity was allowed to work from Oliver's apartment in Boston over the summer as a way to help him tackle summer classes.

Laurel and Tommy were suddenly engaged after just a few months of dating and Sara was moving in with Nyssa, the girl from Starling U that she had met. Everyone seemed to be getting so serious but neither of them brought it up. There was a pregnancy scare over summer right before classes began and Oliver has never seen Felicity cry harder and look happier than when the test came back negative. Although, he wouldn't have been mad at a positive test but she had immense aspirations and they weren't ready for that.

He graduated with his MBA from Harvard and they bought a townhouse in downtown Starling together. He became vice president and QC and Felicity was transitioning into the head of the R&D department. It all fell together really nicely. It was all just perfect. But he knew Felicity and he knew that being 21 and having everything scared her, so despite Tommy's proposal and Sara's big steps, Oliver waited.

Oliver waited despite the second pregnancy scare, even though this time she didn't seem as concerned as to whether or not the test came back positive or negative. Oliver waited despite his family practically begging him, and Thea constantly throwing hints about the ring in his office drawer. He waited because he knew that waiting was a good thing for them, even if they both grew frustrated with it. Oliver waited a total of four and a half years before decided that he was too frustrated to wait any longer.

It was the end of the summer again and Laurel had just announced that her and Tommy were expecting. The group had a tasteful lunch that Saturday in celebration seeing as going out to the bar wasn't an option for Laurel, but Oliver felt the nostalgia again and he was suddenly motivated. Felicity was coding in the living room after the lunch when Oliver informed her that they were going to get drunk tonight, in the name of Laurel. Felicity had laughed but she agreed.

"Will you wear the red shirt and skirt tonight?" Oliver asked as Felicity traipsed into her closet.

"Which red shirt Oliver," she sighed as she pointed at the neatly organized shelves.

"You go get everything else ready, I'll take care of your outfit."

Her eyes had gone wide but eventually he had pried her from the hangers and was able to accurately recreate the outfit that he wanted. She had seemed to not notice his intent as she dressed in the red shirt and black skirt. He didn't even need to pick out the shoes because he knew her well enough to know that black pumps would find their own way onto her feet.

They went to a nightclub and danced and laughed and drank. They drank until she took her pumps off and stood on a wobbly table, dancing to the beat of a new Top 40 song. Thanks to the local tabloids, almost everyone knew who she was and that she and Oliver were in a relationship, meaning less guys crowded around her as she danced. And when she went pale and got that look, Oliver had a hair tie ready.

Mike was no longer a cab driver anymore, which really dampened Oliver's plans until he had actually found Mike's cell and Mike agreed for this occasion. Mike was waiting with a bottle of water and a vomit bag and Felicity laughed so hard that she made herself heave, luckily she was still on the sidewalk.

With ease, they slid into the back of the cab. Felicity downed her water quickly and her head fell to Oliver's shoulder.

"Felicity," Oliver murmured.

"Yes Oliver," she whispered back.

"Thank you for always taking care of me."

Oliver let his head fall gently to hers and Felicity sighed.

"Seriously," he whispered, "You make everything really fun and make sure that I make good decisions and have a good time. You make me not lonely and take care of Thea, well you are friends with Thea but you gave my family someone else to love-"

"I get ya Oliver," she laughed, stopping him from a ramble, "I'm the one that does the rambling Oliver dear."

Felicity sat up and and Oliver laughed. They looked out the window at the passing city and he watched a smile grow on her face. She threw the smile over her shoulder at him and he felt the weight of the ring in his pocket.

"You're going to kiss me Felicity," Oliver whispered softly. "You're going to kiss me and then I'm going to ask you something, and you can't say no because I love you and because if we ignore this any more we won't make it as friends."

Felicity raise her head up and looked at Oliver, her eyes piercing his. He was looking for an agreement in her eyes and she nodded.

"Okay," she whispered.

Felicity leaned in and just like all of the times before, it started soft but grew more and more intense. His hand made it behind his back and into his pocket as he reached for the small box. Mike coughed a knowing cough and Felicity laughed at the irony. Oliver took that opportunity to pull the ring out.

"Marry me?"

 _Just say you won't let go_


End file.
